Get back to me form
We’ll answer your questions

How would you prefer us to contact you?

By EmailBy Phone

Manta rays, stingrays and reef sharks are just a few of the diverse species that live in the clear waters of Ningaloo Reef - a habitat also used for fishing and tourism. Join researchers in their quest to collect ecological data to protect these important waters.

In Coral Bay, manta rays and reef sharks are a major tourism attraction, drawing increasing numbers of visitors to the area. However, coastal development and insufficient regulations on recreational fishing and tourism are putting pressure on the reef ecosystem and the marine life that depends on it.

By joining this expedition, you will contribute to the collection of critical information on the habitat use, movement and behaviour of manta rays, which will help to improve the management and protection of this species. You will also gather data on the impact of tourism and other human activities on other elasmobranchs, including numerous species of benthic ray and reef sharks.

As a volunteer, you can join the project as a scuba-diver or snorkeler (see note below). You will capture photos of manta rays, identify and process images on the manta identification database, identify locations of manta cleaning stations and record their usage, conduct biodiversity surveys on these stations, conduct shark counts, and observe the health of the overall marine ecosystem.

This project is the next phase of Project Manta, which has been collecting data on manta rays in the east and west coast of Australia since 2005. Both data sets have now collected 700 individual mantas identified from the east and 800 from the west. As a volunteer, you will be building on this database and knowledge to support more informed decision making on managing manta rays and the overall marine ecosystem.

Tasks will vary seasonally, depending on the abundance of each species, but manta rays will be seen on all expeditions. Please note that some tasks can only be conducted by divers.

Note:To be eligible for this project as a diver, participants must complete and pass a commercial dive medical assessment performed by a SPUMS doctor prior to the beginning of the project. Visit SPUMS website to locate a doctor. The cost of the assessment ranges between AUD$200-AUD$300. For further information, please contact us. To be eligible for the expedition as a snorkeller, participants must get a medical clearance from their doctor. Your expedition co-ordinator will send you a Doctor’s Signature form for your doctor to sign.

Duration

Lead scientists

Accommodation and food

Why the research is important

Why the research is important

Relatively little is known about most aspects of mantas' biology, ecology, or numbers.

In Australia, manta rays occur in shallow water and are a common sight to swimmers, snorkelers, and divers. Yet despite increasing research efforts around the country we don't know much about them. Mantas and Sharks of Ningaloo Reef is rectifying this by engaging scientists, industry, and the public in a study that will increase our knowledge of the species, generate economic and social benefits, and provide a basis for long-term monitoring of the manta's environment.

Blue chromis fish swimming in the coral

Its global distribution and easily identified shape make the manta ray an excellent indicator species by which to monitor the effects of environmental change on our oceans and reefs. Global warming has caused marked changes in oceanic conditions, including water temperature, current patterns, and acidification—all of which may have dramatic consequences for mantas and the reefs on which they depend. Correlating data on manta distribution and movements with large-scale oceanographic changes will help scientists monitor global oceanic health.

The unique situation at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, where manta rays have a high degree of residence allows us to take a whole of ecosystem approach to the research, combining monitoring of manta rays with surveys of reef resident fish and other large elasmobranchs such as black tip reef sharks and benthic rays.

About the research area

Coral Bay is a small town on the Western Australian coast, 1,200 km north of Perth and about 50 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Coral Bay is protected from the Indian Ocean by Ningaloo Reef.

The Ningaloo Coast has had UNESCO World Heritage Site status since 2011 due to its rich coral and marine life. The reef supports an abundance of over 570 fish species, 250 coral species and 600 mollusc species along with many marine invertebrates. Ningaloo is most famous for the large whale sharks which aggregate adjacent the reef each year between the months of March and August. It is also on the migratory path of humpback and minke whales and one of the few locations in Australia where orcas can be sighted preying on humpback whale calves at certain times of year. Dugongs, dolphins, loggerhead and green turtles are commonly spotted, along with numerous species of rays and sharks.

Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s largest fringing reef where the coral within the lagoon starts within several metres from the beach. At its closest point the reef crest is only several hundred meters offshore, and less than 7 km off shore at its furthest. Ningaloo is one of the longest fringing reefs in the world stretching for over 270 kilometres (approximately 150 miles) along the north west coastal region of Western Australia.

When you arrive, the researchers will provide you with information on studying manta rays and reef sharks. Field work will begin on day 2, where you will:

Dive or snorkel to observe and photograph manta rays: When appropriate you will swim under the manta rays to take photos of their underbellies, which have unique spot patterns that allow researchers to tell individuals apart. In order to take these photos you will either be SCUBA diving beneath the manta, or if snorkeling, you will be able to duck dive under the manta, take a photo of its belly, and then surface for air. You'll also observe what and record what they are doing from the water and the boat.

Conduct reef shark counts from the shore: Black tip and grey reef sharks frequent a small inner lagoon adjacent a key manta ray location, where they aggregate for mating opportunities and to speed up gestation (in the case of females). During the months of Sept- Feb numbers can exceed 100 individuals.

Identify individual manta rays: Back in the lab, you'll use the Project Manta WA database to compare your images to existing photos to identify individuals and enter your images to the database. If you find a previously unidentified individual, you may even have the opportunity to name your own manta ray!

Observe manta cleaning stations: Conduct visual surveys of manta cleaning stations (areas mantas congregate to clean themselves) to determine frequency of use by mantas as well as resident reef fish (divers only). Also, the stations will be surveyed for benthic fauna.
In the evenings, you’ll be inputting data from the day’s research into field computers, but not before you enjoy the west coast sunsets!

Note: To be eligible for this project as a diver, participants must complete and pass a commercial dive medical assessment performed by a SPUMS doctor, or UHMS, prior to the beginning of the project. Visit SPUMS website to locate a doctor. The cost of the assessment ranges between AUD$200-AUD$300. For further information, please contact us.

To be eligible for the project as a snorkeler, participants must complete the Earthwatch Snorkelers Form and have the medical section signed by a doctor.

ACTIVITY LEVEL

VERY ACTIVE

Participants snorkel through the shallow reefs taking photos of the coral

The Scientists

MEET THE LEAD SCIENTIST

Frazer

McGregor

Ecologist, Murdoch University

ABOUT Frazer McGregor

Frazer McGregor has been a tour guide and skipper for 10 of his 15 years in Coral Bay, and has spent the last 9 completing a PhD in marine ecology at Murdoch University. Frazer’s thesis has been instrumental in the implementation of the Manta Ray Identification catalogue. His research has collected data on almost 800 different manta rays that visitors have the opportunity to interact with. His studies have provided key baseline information on all aspects of manta ray ecology within Ningaloo reef including population ecology, foraging ecology and localised movements.

MEET THE OTHER SCIENTISTS

Accommodations and Food

Accommodations and Food

Murdoch University Research Station. Enjoy delicious, plentiful food

You’ll stay in Coral Bay at Murdoch Universities research station. This is a small station, with only 2 rooms, each with four bunk beds. The station is equipped with one bathroom with a hot shower and toilet, a communal kitchen, 24 hour electricity and internet. If people would like to have private accommodation, you have the option to book anywhere in town at your own cost. We strongly recommend BayView, which is only 3 minutes walk away from the Research Station.

Breakfast and lunch will be prepared by yourselves in the communal kitchen, with food provided by Earthwatch. Breakfast will be continental with various meat and salad options available for sandwiches. The team will enjoy a catered dinner each night at one of the local restaurants. Dietary requirements are provided for to the best of our ability. Fresh drinking water is available all day.